Refrigerator



July 20, 19266 1,593,283

. T. J. ANSTEV REFRIG ERATOR Filed Sept. 28, 1925 INVENTOR Patented July 29, 192.6.

tJl llTED STATES TRACY J. ANSTEY, 0F OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

REFRIGERATOR.

Application filed September My present invention relates in general to refrigerators or ice boxes, and has particular reference to apparatus of this character which are used in meat houses, butcher shops, and other places where relatively large quantities of meat or other foodstuffs are stored for preservation.

The invention has for its primary object, to improve the sanitary condition of refrigerators by a novel arrangement of the icing facilities, and the means for accommodat ing the drip from the ice. Further features are concerned with an improved air circulating system throughout the refrigerator, and with certain structural details which account for the improved sanitary conditions as well as for the air circulating improvements.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates the salient features of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view, drawn to a small scale, of an ice box or refrigerator of the type best suited for the improvement that I have developed;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4, is a transverse or longitudinal section of the pans drawn to an enlarged scale.

Referring now to the drawing in detail: The numeral 1 represents a refrigerator constructed in accordance with my invention and is provided with the usual insulated side walls 2 and top and bottom. A suitable door 3 provides an entrance into the storage compartment 4, and a small door 5 above the door 3, or otherwise located, provides an icing door for the ice blocks 6 shown on the ice rack 7. The latter is made with side walls 8 faced with bars of wood 8 and has a floor of spaced timbers 9.

The drip from the ice must be accommodated, and for this purpose I provide a pair of drip pans 10 and 11 which extend from the walls 8 of the ice rack towards the center of the refrigerator and below the side edges of the roof 14. This roof is supported between the end walls 12 and 13, Fig. 3, and below the middle of the ice rack, and the pans 10 and 11 cover the remainder of the drip space below the ice. In this way the drip from any part of the ice rack is caught by either the roof 14 or the pans 10 and 11. The pans are each sloped sufliciently and 2a, 1925. Serial No. 59,101.

provided with spouts 15 at the low corner to empty the collected drippings into a narrow trough 16, which is positioned transversely to the roof and pans and is provided with a drain pipe 17. The pipe extends through a side of the refrigerator and is provided with the usual water trap seal 18 and from which a pipe may extend to a sewer for carrying off the drain.

The roof 14 is slightly ridged so as to provide a slant in opposite directions, and the construction of the same may be of tongue and groove wood covered by a metal sheeting and with the sheeting projecting outwardly as the overhang for the roof. The pans 10 and 11 are also lined with sheet metal, and to prevent the outside bottom and sides of the pans from sweating, and subsequently dripping to the floor of the refrigerator, a dead air space 19 is provided by constructing a false bottom 20 for the pans as shown to advantage in Fig. 4.

The, sanitary features of the arrangement are mostly concerned with cleaning facilities for the parts subjected to the drip. For this reason the roof is spaced just sufiiciently under the bottom of the ice rack to allow ones arm to conveniently reach and clean the roof. As an accompanying and most desirable improvement, the pans 10 and 11 are hinged as at 21 to the walls 8 and the opposite sides of the pans are supported in suspension as by ordinary hooks and eyes 21 at the corners, shown clearly in Fig. 3. The trough 16 is hooked to the pans as at 16' Fig. 2 so that by using a flexible or other suitable pipe 17 the trough may be unhooked, and then the pans in turn may be unhooked and swung down, as shown in light dot-anddash lines Figs. 2 and 3, where all inside surfaces subject to the drip may be easily cleaned.

Sheet metal angle strips 22 and ,23 are socured to the end walls 12 and 13 to insure that the drip is directed onto the roof and thekpans at the respective ends of the ice rac The meat 27 or other foodstufi to be refrigerated may be hung along the meat racks 2 1, or otherwise stored in the compartment 1, and the circulation of cool air will follow down from the ice, through the spaces in the floor of the ice rack, and along the pans and through the spaces between the pan sides and the overhang of the roof and into the compartment 4:, and then over and around the meat hung on the racks 24c, and up through the air space or fine 25 surrounding the ice rack, and the cycle of circulation is repeated asthe heated air from the meat or food-stuffrises. The aforesaid air circulation is clearly indicated by the directional arrows of Fig. 2.

The head room inthe compartment t is suflicient to permit one to walk therein, and whenv it is necessary to clean the. pans, troughiand roof, the trough is unhooked and likewise the pans, and the latter may then be hingedly lowered as previously mentioned. This leaves them readily accessible for cleaning and also moves them out of the way for obtainingaccess to the roof; flexible as above stated, or else a. union 26 may be provided for a connection so that the pipe can be-moved out of the way when the pan above the same is to be swung down.

From the foregoing description taken in connection. with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to Which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the devicewhichI new conside to be the best embodiment.thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown; merely illustrative and that: such changes may be made, when desired, as fall within the scope of. the appended claims.

Having thus described myinvention, T claim as new and desire to secure'by Let- Ihe pipe 17 for the trough may be ters Patentof the United States the following 1. In a refrigerator of the class described, a refrigerating compartment and an ice rack above the same, an air space surrounding the ice rack and communicating with the refrigerating compartment, a roof positioned under the middle of the ice rack, drip pans disposedbelow the ice rack and extending under the said roof, a transversely positioned trough below said pans and means in the pans for draining the latter into said trough; each of said drip pans being hinged along one side thereof and detachably suspended'at the opposite side, and the said trough being detachably suspended from the drip pans.

:2. In a refrigerator of the class described, a refrigerating compartment and an ice rack above the same, an airspace: surrounding the ice rack and communicating with the refrigerating compartment, a roof. positioned under the middle of the icerack, drip pans disposed below the ice rack and ertending under the said roof, a transversely positioned trough belowv said pans and meansin the pans for drainingthe latter into said trough; said drip pans having a false bottom with an air space surrounding the same, each of said pans-being hinged at one side thereof and detachably suspended at the opposite side,and-the said-trough.

being detachably suspended: from the drip pans.

In testimony. whereof, I aflix. my. signature.

TRACY J. ANSTEY. 

